Paintings, prints, pictures, and other wall hangings are typically mounted on residential and commercial wall surfaces by a hook or other securing device which penetrates the wall surface. To reposition the wall hanging at some other location on the wall surface, it is necessary to remove and reposition the securing device. The removal of hooks or nails from the wall causes damage to the wall surface and creates unsightly holes which must be filled and refinished or hidden from view by another wall hanging. Also, if the wall structure is not strong enough to support heavier wall hangings, it is necessary to attach the securing device to the upright studs within the wall. This restricts the horizontal placement of the wall hanging to the vicinity of a wall stud.
Track systems have been developed to allow a user to position a wall hanging in a variety of locations on a wall surface without the need for individual hooks or nails. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,014 to Wilson, describes a display system for artwork which uses a moulding bracket attached to the top of a wall and a plurality of vertical display units attached to and slidable along the moulding bracket.
However, this prior art display system does not facilitate convenient horizontal movement of the vertical display units. A user must first loosen the screws that couple the vertical bar with the horizontal bar before the vertical bar can be moved horizontally within the horizontal bar. This display system also fails to compensate for an uneven wall, since the horizontal track is mounted directly onto the wall. This could result in the horizontal track being crooked when mounted. Further, since wall hangings are to be mounted on the vertical display units using a mounting brace secured at the back of the picture, regular wall hangings having wire attachments cannot be accommodated by the display system.
There is accordingly a need for a track system which allows wall hangings to be suspended evenly on an irregular wall surface, and easily repositioned at various positions on a wall without damaging the wall surface. There is also a need for a track system which can be used in association with conventionally wire hung wall hangings.